In the work of the authors with states over the years, they have observed that most follow a similar process when they develop policies or guidelines to support statewide implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL), such as establishing learning goals or standards for student social and emotional competencies, or providing guidance to support implementation of guidelines to support SEL. To provide guidance to states wanting to implement SEL policies and guidelines, the current document provides the 14 steps that the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and American Institutes for Research (AIR) have observed some states and districts have taken in these areas. At the beginning, it is important for state or district teams to become familiar with and be constantly thinking about all steps outlined in this brief to lay the necessary groundwork for each of the activities when the time arrives. A figure in the report offers a flow chart of the process for writing and implementing SEL policies and guidelines (which may include learning goals or standards for student social and emotional competencies).